Divine Office Office of Readings

Feb 10, Invitatory for Tuesday of the 5th week of Ordinary Time

Lord, open my lips. — And my mouth will proclaim your praise. Ant. Come, let us worship our mighty King and Lord. Psalm 100 Cry out with joy to the Lord, all the earth. Serve the Lord with gladness. Come before him, singing for joy. Ant. Come, let us worship our mighty King and Lord. Know that he, the Lord, is God. He made us, we belong to him, we are his people, the sheep of his flock. Ant. Come, let us worship our mighty King and Lord. Go within his gates, giving thanks. Enter his courts with songs of praise. Give thanks to him and bless his name. Ant. Come, let us worship our mighty King and Lord. Indeed, how good is the Lord, eternal his merciful love. He is faithful from age to age. Ant. Come, let us worship our mighty King and Lord. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: — as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. Ant. Come, let us worship our mighty King and Lord.

Feb 10, Office of Readings for Tuesday of the 5th week of Ordinary Time

Ribbon Placement: Liturgy of the Hours Vol. III: Ordinary: 651 Proper of Seasons: 176 Psalter: Tuesday, Week I, 722 Office of Readings for Tuesday in Ordinary Time God, come to my assistance. — Lord, make haste to help me. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: — as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. Alleluia. HYMN O God, our help in ages past, Our hope for years to come, Our shelter from the stormy blast, And our eternal home. Beneath the shadow of Your throne Your saints have dwelt secure; Sufficient is your arm alone, And our defense is sure. Before the hills in order stood, Or earth received her frame, From everlasting you are God, To endless years the same. A thousand ages in your sight Are like an evening gone; Short as the watch that ends the night Before the rising sun. Time, like an ever rolling stream, Bears all our lives away; They fly, forgotten, as a dream Dies at the opening day. O God, our help in ages past, Our hope for years to come, Be now our guard while troubles last, And our eternal home. 𝄞"O God, Our Help in Ages Past" by Melinda Kirigin-Voss [https://divineoffice.org/melinda-kirigin-voss/], Vince Clark • Musical Score [https://divineoffice.org/wp-content/uploads/O-God-Our-Help-in-Ages-Past.pdf] • Title: O God, Our Help in Ages Past; Text: Based on Psalm 90; Isaac Watts, 1674-1748, Psalms of David..., 1719, alt.; Tune: ST. ANNE, CM; later form of melody (rhythm adapted), attr. to William Croft, 1678-1727, A Supplement to the New Version of Psalms, 1708; Artist: Melinda Kirigin-Voss, Vince Clark; Copyright 2016 Surgeworks Inc. • Albums that contain this Hymn: Divine Office PSALMODY Ant. 1 The Lord is just; he will defend the poor. Psalm 10 Prayer of thanksgiving Blessed are the poor; the kingdom of heaven is theirs (Luke 6:20). I Lord, why do you stand afar off and hide yourself in times of distress? The poor man is devoured by the pride of the wicked: he is caught in the schemes that others have made. For the wicked man boasts of his heart’s desires; the covetous blasphemes and spurns the Lord. In his pride the wicked says: “He will not punish. There is no God.” Such are his thoughts. His path is ever untroubled; your judgment is far from his mind. His enemies he regards with contempt. He thinks: “Never shall I falter; misfortune shall never be my lot.” His mouth is full of cursing, guile, oppression, mischief and deceit under his tongue. He lies in wait among the reeds; the innocent he murders in secret. His eyes are on the watch for the helpless man. He lurks in hiding like a lion in his lair; he lurks in hiding to seize the poor; he seizes the poor man and drags him away. He crouches, preparing to spring, and the helpless fall beneath his strength. He thinks in his heart: “God forgets, he hides his face, he does not see.” Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: — as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. Ant. The Lord is just; he will defend the poor. Ant. 2 Lord, you know the burden of my sorrow. II Arise then, Lord, lift up your hand! O God, do not forget the poor! Why should the wicked spurn the Lord and think in his heart: “He will not punish”? But you have seen the trouble and sorrow, you note it, you take it in hand. The helpless trusts himself to you; for you are the helper of the orphan. Break the power of the wicked and the sinner! Punish his wickedness till nothing remains! The Lord is king for ever and ever. The heathen shall perish from the land he rules. Lord, you hear the prayer of the poor; you strengthen their hearts; you turn your ear to protect the rights of the orphan and oppressed so that mortal man may strike terror no more. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: — as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. Psalm-prayer Rise up, Lord, in defense of your people; do not hide your face from our troubles. Father of orphans, wealth of the poor, we rejoice in making you known; may we find comfort and security in times of pain and anxiety. Ant. Lord, you know the burden of my sorrow. Ant. 3 The words of the Lord are true, like silver from the furnace. Psalm 12 A cry for God’s help against powerful oppressors The Father sent his Son into the world to defend the poor (Saint Augustine). Help, O Lord, for good men have vanished: truth has gone from the sons of men. Falsehood they speak one to another, with lying lips, with a false heart. May the Lord destroy all lying lips, the tongue that speaks high sounding words, those who say: “Our tongue is our strength; our lips are our own, who is our master?” “For the poor who are oppressed and the needy who groan I myself will arise,” says the Lord. “I will grant them the salvation for which they thirst.” The words of the Lord are words without alloy, silver from the furnace, seven times refined. It is you, O Lord, who will take us in your care and protect us for ever from this generation. See how the wicked prowl on every side, while the worthless are prized highly by the sons of men. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: — as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. Psalm-prayer Your light is true light, Lord, and your truth shines like the day. Direct us to salvation through your life-giving words. May we be saved by always embracing your word. Ant. The words of the Lord are true, like silver from the furnace. Sacred Silence (indicated by a bell) A moment to reflect and receive in our hearts the full resonance of the voice of the Holy Spirit and to unite our personal prayer more closely with the word of God and public voice of the Church. The Lord teaches the humble his way. — He guides the gentle-hearted along the right path. READINGS First reading From the letter to the Galatians 2:11—3:14 The just man shall live by faith When Cephas came to Antioch I directly withstood him, because he was clearly in the wrong. He had been taking his meals with the Gentiles before others came who were from James. But when they arrived he drew back to avoid trouble with those who were circumcised. The rest of the Jews joined in his dissembling, till even Barnabas was swept away by their pretense. As soon as I observed that they were not being straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I had this to say to Cephas in the presence of all: “If you who are a Jew are living according to Gentile ways rather than Jewish, by what logic do you force the Gentiles to adopt Jewish ways?” We are Jews by birth, not sinners of Gentile origin. Nevertheless, knowing that a man is not justified by legal observance but by faith in Jesus Christ, we too have believed in him in order to be justified by faith in Christ, not by observance of the law; for by works of the law no one will be justified. But if, in seeking to be justified in Christ, we are shown to be sinners, does that mean that Christ is encouraging sin? Unthinkable! If, however, I were to build up the very things I had demolished, I should then indeed be a transgressor. It was through the law that I died to the law, to live for God. I have been crucified with Christ, and the life I live now is not my own; Christ is living in me. I still live my human life, but it is a life of faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I will not treat God’s gracious gift as pointless. If justice is available through the law, then Christ died to no purpose! You senseless Galatians! Who has cast a spell over you—you before whose eyes Jesus Christ was displayed to view upon his cross? I want to learn only one thing from you; how did you receive the Spirit? Was it through observance of the law or through faith in what you heard? How could you be so stupid? After beginning in the spirit, are you now to end in the flesh? Have you had such remarkable experiences all to no purpose—if indeed they were to no purpose? Is it because you observe the law or because you have faith in what you heard that God lavishes the Spirit on you and works wonders in your midst? Consider the case of Abraham: he “believed God, and it was credited to him as justice.” This means that those who believe are sons of Abraham. Because Scripture saw in advance that God’s way of justifying the Gentiles would be through faith, it foretold this good news to Abraham: “All nations shall be blessed in you.” Thus it is that all who believe are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith. All who depend on observance of the law, on the other hand, are under a curse. It is written, “Cursed is he who does not abide by everything written in the book of the law and carry it out.” It should be obvious that no one is justified in God’s sight by the law, for “the just man shall live by faith.” But the law does not depend on faith. Its terms are: “Whoever does these things shall live by them.” Christ has delivered us from the power of the law’s curse by himself becoming a curse for us, as it is written: “Accursed is anyone who is hanged on a tree.” This has happened so that through Christ Jesus the blessing bestowed on Abraham might descend on the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, thereby making it possible for us to receive the promised Spirit through faith. RESPONSORY Galatians 2:16, 21 A man is not justified by observing the law, but through faith in Jesus Christ. — We have believed in Christ Jesus so that we might be made holy not through the observance of the law but by faith in him. If holiness comes through keeping the law, then Christ died in vain. — We have believed in Christ Jesus so that we might be made holy not through the observance of the law but by faith in him. Second reading From a homily on Genesis by Origen, priest The sacrifice of Abraham Abraham took wood for the burnt offering and placed it upon Isaac his son, and he took fire and a sword in his hands, and together they went off. Isaac himself carries the wood for his own holocaust: this is a figure of Christ. For he bore the burden of the cross, and yet to carry the wood for the holocaust is really the duty of the priest. He is then both victim and priest. This is the meaning of the expression: together they went off. For when Abraham, who was to perform the sacrifice, carried the fire and the knife, Isaac did not walk behind him, but with him. In this way he showed that he exercised the priesthood equally with Abraham. What happens after this? Isaac said to Abraham his father: Father. This plea from the son was at that instant the voice of temptation. For do you not think the voice of the son who was about to be sacrificed struck a responsive chord in the heart of the father? Although Abraham did not waver because of his faith, he responded with a voice full of affection and asked: What is it, my son? Isaac answered him: Here are the fire and the wood, but where is the sheep for the holocaust? And Abraham replied: God will provide for himself a sheep for the holocaust, my son. The careful yet loving response of Abraham moves me greatly. I do not know what he saw in spirit, because he did not speak of the present but of the future: God will provide for himself a sheep. His reply concerns the future, yet his son inquires about the present. Indeed, the Lord himself provided a sheep for himself in Christ. Abraham extended his hand to take the sword and slay his son, and the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said: Abraham, Abraham. And he responded: Here I am. And the angel said: Do not put your hand upon the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God. Compare these words to those of the Apostle when he speaks of God: He did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all. God emulates man with magnificent generosity. Abraham offered to God his mortal son who did not die, and God gave up his immortal Son who died for all of us. And Abraham, looking about him, saw a ram caught by the horns in a bush. We said before that Isaac is a type of Christ. Yet this also seems true of the ram. To understand how both are figures of Christ—Isaac who was not slain and the ram who was—is well worth our inquiry. Christ is the Word of God, but the Word became flesh. Christ therefore suffered and died, but in the flesh. In this respect, the ram is the type, just as John said: Behold the lamb of God, behold him who takes away the sins of the world. The Word, however, remained incorruptible. This is Christ according to the spirit, and Isaac is the type. Therefore, Christ himself is both victim and priest according to the spirit. For he offers the victim to the Father according to the flesh, and he is himself offered on the altar of the cross. RESPONSORY John 19:16-17; Genesis 22:6 They took charge of Jesus and led him away; — and carrying his own cross, he went out to what is called the place of the skull. Abraham took up the wood for the sacrifice and put it on the shoulders of Isaac, his son. — And carrying his own cross, he went out to what is called the place of the skull. CONCLUDING PRAYER Keep your family safe, O Lord, with unfailing care, that, relying solely on the hope of heavenly grace, they may be defended always by your protection. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. — Amen. ACCLAMATION (at least in the communal celebration) Let us praise the Lord. — And give him thanks.

Feb 12, Invitatory for Thursday of the 5th week of Ordinary Time

Lord, open my lips. — And my mouth will proclaim your praise. Ant. Come, let us worship the Lord, the Lord is our God. Psalm 67 O God, be gracious and bless us and let your face shed its light upon us. So will your ways be known upon earth and all nations learn your saving help. Ant. Come, let us worship the Lord, the Lord is our God. Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you. Ant. Come, let us worship the Lord, the Lord is our God. Let the nations be glad and exult for you rule the world with justice. With fairness you rule the peoples, you guide the nations on earth. Ant. Come, let us worship the Lord, the Lord is our God. Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you. Ant. Come, let us worship the Lord, the Lord is our God. The earth has yielded its fruit for God, our God, has blessed us. May God still give us his blessing till the ends of the earth revere him. Ant. Come, let us worship the Lord, the Lord is our God. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: — as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. Ant. Come, let us worship the Lord, the Lord is our God.

Feb 12, Office of Readings for Thursday of the 5th week of Ordinary Time

Ribbon Placement: Liturgy of the Hours Vol. III: Ordinary: 651 Proper of Seasons: 185 Psalter: Thursday, Week I, 765 Office of Readings for Thursday in Ordinary Time God, come to my assistance. — Lord, make haste to help me. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: — as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. Alleluia. HYMN Be thou my vision, through night and come day Light on me always, thy spirit to stay Thou, eternal father, the great and the last The wise and true sov’reign of all that shall pass. Be thou my wisdom, my staff and my stay, Shine through the darkness, give light to my way! Be thou the true source of all I enjoy So, let carnal pleasures no longer annoy. Be thou my guardian my sword in the fight Be thou my dignity thou my delight Thou my soul’s shelter, and thou my high tow’r Wilt thou raise me heaven ward, o pow’r of my pow’r. Riches I heed not, or man’s empty praise Thou my inheritance, now and always Thou and thou only, still first in my heart The high king of heaven my treasure thou art. High king of heaven, my victory won May I reach heaven’s joys, o bright heaven’s sun! Heart of my own heart, whatever befall Still be thou my vision, o ruler of all. 𝄞"Be Thou My Vision" by Rebecca Hincke • Available for Purchase [https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08NQ34YZ4/ref=dm_ws_tlw_trk10] • Musical Score [https://divineoffice.org/wp-content/uploads/Be-Thou-My-Vision.pdf] • Title: Be Thou My Vision; Text: from Mark Hamilton Dewey's SSATBB arrangement; Tune: SLANE; Copyright: Public Domain; Artist: Rebecca Hincke; (c) 2017 Surgeworks, Inc. • Albums that contain this Hymn: The Hymns and Chants of Divine Office, Vol. 1 PSALMODY Ant. 1 The word of the Lord is a strong shield for all who put their trust in him. Psalm 18:31-51 Hymn of thanksgiving If God is on our side who can be against us? (Romans 8:31). IV As for God, his ways are perfect; the word of the Lord, purest gold. He indeed is the shield of all who make him their refuge. For who is God but the Lord? Who is a rock but our God? The God who girds me with strength and makes the path safe before me. My feet you made swift as the deer’s; you have made me stand firm on the heights. You have trained my hands for battle and my arms to bend the heavy bow. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: — as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. Ant. The word of the Lord is a strong shield for all who put their trust in him. Ant. 2 Your strong right hand has upheld me, Lord. V You gave me your saving shield; you upheld me, trained me with care. You gave me freedom for my steps; my feet have never slipped. I pursued and overtook my foes, never turning back till they were slain. I smote them so they could not rise; they fell beneath my feet. You girded me with strength for battle; you made my enemies fall beneath me, you made my foes take flight; those who hated me I destroyed. They cried, but there was no one to save them; they cried to the Lord, but in vain. I crushed them fine as dust before the wind; trod them down like dirt in the streets. You saved me from the feuds of the people and put me at the head of the nations. People unknown to me served me: when they heard of me they obeyed me. Foreign nations came to me cringing: foreign nations faded away. They came trembling out of their strongholds. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: — as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. Ant. Your strong right hand has upheld me, Lord. Ant. 3 May the living God, my Savior, be praised for ever. VI Long life to the Lord, my rock! Praised be the God who saves me, the God who gives me redress and subdues people under me. You saved me from my furious foes. You set me above my assailants. You saved me from violent men, so I will praise you, Lord, among the nations: I will sing a psalm to your name. He has given great victories to his king and shown his love for his anointed, for David and his sons for ever. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: — as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. Psalm-prayer Lord God, our strength and salvation, put in us the flame of your love and make our love for you grow to a perfect love which reaches to our neighbor. Ant. May the living God, my Savior, be praised for ever. Sacred Silence (indicated by a bell) A moment to reflect and receive in our hearts the full resonance of the voice of the Holy Spirit and to unite our personal prayer more closely with the word of God and public voice of the Church. Open my eyes, Lord, that I may see. — The wonders of your law. READINGS First reading From the letter to the Galatians 4:8-31 Our divine inheritance and the freedom of the new covenant In the past, when you did not acknowledge God, you served as slaves to gods who are not really divine. Now that you have come to know God—or rather, have been known by him—how can you return to those powerless, worthless, natural elements to which you seem willing to enslave yourselves once more? You even go so far as to keep the ceremonial observance of days and months, seasons and years! I fear for you; all my efforts with you may have been wasted. I beg you, brothers, to become like me as I became like you. (Understand, you have not done me any wrong.) You are aware that it was a bodily ailment that first occasioned my bringing you the gospel. My physical condition was a challenge which you did not despise or brush aside in disgust. On the contrary, you took me to yourselves as an angel of God, even as if I had been Christ Jesus! What has happened to your openhearted spirit? I can testify on your behalf that if it were possible you would have plucked out your eyes and given them to me. Have I become your enemy just because I tell you the truth? The people I have referred to are not courting your favor in any generous spirit. What they really want is to exclude you so that you may court their favor. It would be well for you to be courted for the right reasons at all times, and not only when I happen to be with you. You are my children, and you put me back in labor pains until Christ is formed in you. If only I could be with you now and speak to you differently! You have me at a complete loss! You who want to be subject to the law, tell me: do you know what the law has to say? There it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the slave girl, the other by his freeborn wife. The son of the slave girl had been begotten in the course of nature, but the son of the free woman was the fruit of the promise. All this is an allegory: the two women stand for the two covenants. One is from Mount Sinai, and brought forth children to slavery: this is Hagar. The mountain Sinai [Hagar] is in Arabia and corresponds to the Jerusalem of our time, which is likewise in slavery with her children. But the Jerusalem on high is freeborn, and it is she who is our mother. That is why Scripture says: “Rejoice, you barren one who bear no children; break into song, you stranger to the pains of childbirth! For many are the children of the wife deserted — far more than of her who has a husband!” You, my brothers, are children of the promise, as Isaac was. But just as in those days the son born in nature’s course persecuted the one whose birth was in the realm of spirit, so do we find it now. What does Scripture say on the point? “Cast out slave girl and son together; for the slave girl’s son shall never be an heir on equal terms with the son” of the one born free. Therefore, my brothers, we are not children of a slave girl but of a mother who is free. It was for liberty that Christ freed us. RESPONSORY Galatians 4:28, 31; 2 Corinthians 3:17 We are like Isaac, children born of the promise, not children born of the slave, but of the free woman. — Christ has set us free to be free men. The Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. — Christ has set us free to be free men. Second reading From an explanation of Paul’s letter to the Galatians by Saint Augustine, bishop Let Christ be formed in you. The Apostle says, Be like me, for though born a Jew, by reason of spiritual discernment I now consider carnal things of small importance. And he adds, For I am as you are, that is to say: For I, like you, am a man. Then he tactfully reminds them of his love so that they will not look on him as an enemy: Brothers, I beseech you, he says, you did me no wrong, as if to say, “Do not imagine that I want to wrong you.” And to have them imitate him as they would a parent, he addresses them as little children: My little children, with whom I am again in labor until Christ be formed in you. Actually he is here speaking more in the person of Mother Church than his own. So too he says elsewhere: I was gentle among you like a nurse fondling her little ones. Christ is formed in the believer by faith of the inner man, called to the freedom that grace bestows, meek and gentle, not boasting of non-existent merits, but through grace making some beginning of merit. Hence he can be called “my least one” by him who said: Inasmuch as you did it to the least of my brethren you did it to me. Christ is formed in him who receives Christ’s mould, who clings to him in spiritual love. By imitating him he becomes, as far as is possible to his condition, what Christ is. John says: He who remains in Christ should walk as he did. Children are conceived in order to be formed in their mother’s womb, and when they have been so formed, mothers are in travail to give them birth. We can thus understand Paul’s words: With whom I am in labor until Christ be formed in you. By labor we understand his anxiety for those with whom he is in travail, that they be born unto Christ. And he is again in labor when he sees them in danger of being led astray. These anxieties, which can be likened to the pangs of childbirth, will continue until they come to full age in Christ, so as not to be moved by every wind of doctrine. He is not therefore talking about the beginnings of faith by which they were born, but of strong and perfect faith when he says: With whom I am again in labor until Christ be formed in you. He also refers elsewhere in different words to his being in labor, when he says: There is the daily pressure upon me of my anxiety for all the churches. Who is weak and I am not weak? Who is made to fall, and I am not indignant? RESPONSORY Ephesians 4:15; Proverbs 4:18 Let us speak the truth in love — so that in all things we may grow into Christ who is our Head. The path of the just is like the passage of the dawn; it grows from first light to the full splendor of day. — So that in all things we may grow into Christ who is our Head. CONCLUDING PRAYER Keep your family safe, O Lord, with unfailing care, that, relying solely on the hope of heavenly grace, they may be defended always by your protection. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. — Amen. ACCLAMATION (at least in the communal celebration) Let us praise the Lord. — And give him thanks.

Feb 13, Invitatory for Friday of the 5th week of Ordinary Time

Lord, open my lips. — And my mouth will proclaim your praise. Ant. Come, let us give thanks to the Lord for his great love is without end. Psalm 95 Come, let us sing to the Lord and shout with joy to the Rock who saves us. Let us approach him with praise and thanksgiving and sing joyful songs to the Lord. Ant. Come, let us give thanks to the Lord for his great love is without end. The Lord is God, the mighty God, the great king over all the gods. He holds in his hands the depths of the earth and the highest mountains as well. He made the sea; it belongs to him, the dry land, too, for it was formed by his hands. Ant. Come, let us give thanks to the Lord for his great love is without end. Come, then, let us bow down and worship, bending the knee before the Lord, our maker, For he is our God and we are his people, the flock he shepherds. Ant. Come, let us give thanks to the Lord for his great love is without end. Today, listen to the voice of the Lord: Do not grow stubborn, as your fathers did in the wilderness, when at Meriba and Massah they challenged me and provoked me, Although they had seen all of my works. Ant. Come, let us give thanks to the Lord for his great love is without end. Forty years I endured that generation. I said, “They are a people whose hearts go astray and they do not know my ways.” So I swore in my anger, “They shall not enter into my rest.” Ant. Come, let us give thanks to the Lord for his great love is without end. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: — as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. Ant. Come, let us give thanks to the Lord for his great love is without end.